Page 7 of Rescued By Her Guardian

“He just did a job for me, and my brother is watching for him. I’m going to magically cloak you so you’ll be invisible, and you’re going to throw this powder on the portal.”

He screwed the lid on the powder and handed it over. Azure looked at it. “What’s in it?”

“Something that cost me a lot of magic.”

He hummed. “How close do I have to get?”

“Close enough to throw it without crossing the perimeter and setting off the alarm. It’s too fine to be detected by the alarms, but you can’t cross. You’ll have to throw it hard by the handful. Do not get caught, I won’t come to your aid.”

Azure tucked the jar into his pocket. “I won’t fail.”

“See that you don’t. Check in with Thale to find out the timing schedule for the Guardians so you can be there between shifts, I’d suggest between third shift and first shift.”

“Will do.”

The male spun on his heels and marched away. Frost moved to the table that had a 3D model of Northernmost and the Well. He touched the Well and smiled to himself.

He would take control of the Well this Christmas, come hell or high water. It was high time the rightful guardian of the Earth’s magic was in control.

“Your days are numbered, brother.”

The following day, Ivy walked into Santa’s office to drop off the completed Naughty List.

“A few changes,” she said as she set the large scroll next to his empty mug of cocoa. “Would you like some more cocoa?”

He looked up from the Nice List that one of the other elves had completed. “More kids or less?”

“A bit of both,” she said. She hated to add children to the Naughty List, but it happened. It filled her with joy when a child turned things around before Christmas, and she could remove their name. Santa always looked over the lists throughout the month of December, with a final once-over on Christmas Eve before he got on the sleigh. There would be changes again, she was sure, and she always kept her fingers crossed that there would be fewer children on the Naughty List and more on the Nice List.

He narrowed his gaze at her. “You didn’t go to the Well.”

She fidgeted under his gaze. “No.”

He put down the list and leaned back in the chair, which creaked under his weight. He was a big male, broad shouldered with a barrel chest and a trim waist. He towered over her petite five-foot-three by a lot, but while he was the most powerful warlock on the side of good magic in the world, he never reallyintimidated her. At his core, he was kind and gracious and a good boss.

Except when she did dumb things like neglect herself.

She glanced at the grandfather clock against the wall. It was nearly dinnertime, so she’d gone another entire day without replenishing her magic.

“Why not?”

“I don’t know.”

He arched a white brow.

“Okay,” she said to his unasked question. “It makes me nervous. My magic is always replenished in December, and it’s the most dangerous time of year.” How many elves had been lured away by Frost’s magic and turned evil? It was bad enough that her dad and brother were part of the security team and dealing with that danger every day, let alone her skipping out of the safety of the office and walking to the Well, even with a Guardian escort.

He didn’t say anything to her, but instead picked up the phone from his desk, moved his thumb around on the screen, then lifted it to his ear.

“Winter, I need an escort for Ivy from my office to the Well to replenish her magic. Yes, now, please. And I want more than one Guardian to escort her to ensure her safety.” He listened for a moment as he stared at her while she continued to fidget like a wayward child, and then he said, “Thank you.” He put his phone down and folded his hands on the desk. “They’ll be here in a few minutes. Once you’ve replenished your magic, take the rest of the night off and enjoy yourself.”

This time of year, she normally worked into the evening because there was always so much to do to get ready for their biggest night.

She opened her mouth to protest, but he put his hand up, and she closed her mouth with a click. He wasn’t going to budge.

“Okay. Thank you.”

He eased back in the chair and said, “Ivy, you’re the best assistant I’ve ever had, and I love your dedication to the work we do. But you can’t neglect your health for the job, and you shouldn’t let fear keep you from taking care of your magic.”

---